Tactile sensor for curved surface and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

A tactile sensor for curved surfaces applicable to objects with multi-dimensional curvature and a small radius of curvature and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The tactile sensor for curved surfaces includes a lower pattern including a plurality of lower polymer film layers spaced at specified intervals in a lower direction, lower metal layers disposed on the lower polymer film layers, and a number of lower resistors disposed on the lower metal layers, an upper pattern including a plurality of upper polymer film layers spaced at specified intervals in a direction perpendicular to the lower direction, upper metal layers disposed on the upper polymer film layers, and a number of upper resistors disposed below the upper metal layers to be electrically connected to the lower resistors, and a lower polymer layer and an upper polymer layer to bond the lower pattern and the upper pattern to each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a tactile sensor and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a tactile sensor for curved surfaces, wherein metal layers and resistors are formed on upper and lower films with excellent bending property and high restoration force, respectively, and the upper and lower films are perpendicularly bonded to each other, thereby increasing flexibility to be applicable to objects with multi-dimensional curvature and a small radius of curvature and a manufacturing method thereof.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Recently, a tactile function for obtaining information regarding circumferential environment through touch, for example, a contact force, vibration, surface roughness, heat conductivity versus temperature change and the like has been used for advanced information collection. A biomimetic tactile sensor capable of replacing tactile sensation can be used for micr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a tactile sensor for curved surfaces, wherein a number of metal layers and resistors are formed on upper and lower polymer films with excellent bending property and high restoration force, respectively, and the upper and lower films are bonded to each other using a flexible polymer material such that signal lines of the polymer films intersect perpendicularly to each other and the resistors are connected to each other at respective intersections, thereby increasing flexibility to be applicable to objects with curvature and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0011]Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a tactile sensor for curved surfaces, wherein a number of signal lines formed in the upper and lower films are formed in a wave-shaped pattern and then the upper and lower films are bonded, thereby increasing extension-compression deformation in the X, Y and diagonal directions, i.e., in all directions to be applicable to objects with a small radius of curvature and a manufacturing method thereof.

Problems solved by technology

Such sensors have a relatively large size, thereby having a problem such as low responsiveness.

However, since the sensor has been developed using a silicon wafer and the like, the sensor does not have flexibility.

However, the conventional tactile sensor manufactured through the punching process fails to maximize flexibility because a single film is punched for flexibility.

However, it is hard to apply it to fingers of a humanoid robot or a very small sphere due to a lack of softness like human skin.

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